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Keyboards and controllers clatter as players build walls and ramps to avoid the fire of their enemy. Fortnite: Battle Royale, a co-op sandbox survival game, has won the hearts of thousands of gamers. With multiple hours spent each day playing this game, Fortnite is becoming an addiction.

“Fortnite is a video game, so there are issues with getting into it because you always want to win, “ sophomore Zach Lagpacan said. “Also, because it is fun, there is a lot more reward for how much time you put into it, so that’s way different from school work, where reward isn’t as obvious.”

To reduce the risk of Fortnite being an addiction, students should have a limit to how long they can play every day. If there is a limit, students will be able to focus on academics and sports rather than spending the entire day playing Fortnite. By promoting the completion of important duties, parents may enforce a discipline where students can only play Fortnite after completing priorities.

“I think that reducing the risk of Fortnite becoming an addiction is through time management,” Lagpacan said. “I believe that you need to finish your homework first. For me, I complete my homework before because once I get in, I can’t stop playing.”

The addiction of Fortnite can be attributed to “near miss” phenomenon, where, although failing to get a #1 Victory Royale, players feel as if they have almost won and could win if they played another game. This phenomenon keeps players from walking away from the console or keyboard.

Recently introducing an invite-only iPhone beta test, Epic Games has gained even more players, generating $223 million dollars in March, according to a New York Times article. Furthermore, with the new season four that came out on May 1 and a new Thanos gameplay mechanic in the midst of a new Marvel Avengers: Infinity War, Fornite is becoming more popular than ever.

“Turning your X-BOX off would be a very good idea because then you can’t play,” sophomore Isaiah Jackson said. “I only play on the weekends, and I do all my work during the week and that works for me.”

So, to prevent the addiction of Fortnite, parents should implement rules where students are trained to complete important priorities first and enjoy Fortnite later. With more extensive content always coming out, now is a crucial moment in preventing addiction.